thinking of taking up road cycling - looking for advice?

WEBMAN026

I have been thinking of taking up road cycling to keep fit and start racing other riders over time. Can anyone give me advice what bike to buy and also the best clothing. Also when is the best time become part of a club, should I reach some personal goals before joining?

finchy

WEBMAN026 wrote:

I have been thinking of taking up road cycling to keep fit and start racing other riders over time. Can anyone give me advice what bike to buy and also the best clothing. Also when is the best time become part of a club, should I reach some personal goals before joining?

Best bike for you depends on your budget. Check out the reviews on this website.

Try to join a club as soon as possible. Find one that has different levels, so you can start at an easy level, and work your way up as you get fitter. Riding with other cyclists will give you so much more motivation, and because clubs often do more challenging (optional!) rides that you can go on, you will have something to aim at.

Try to find a proper training programme - your local bookshop will have plenty of these in stock before Christmas.

Bronzie

WEBMAN026 wrote:

should I reach some personal goals before joining?

It depends on the club to an extent, but I think you do need a reasonable base fitness before you roll up for your first club run. It's not much fun for everyone else to have to wait around for another rider who is clearly out of the depth.

I'd suggest something like being able to ride 40 miles in around 2.5 hours as being entry level ability for most cycling clubs.

brownbosh

We have a slower group than that every sunday plus a begginers ride on the first sat of every month so it depends on where you are. If you havent bought a bike yet you cant put any pre joining miles in. If you know nothing about road bikes you will benefit from help. Where are you located?